Combined ice and beverage dispenser and icemaker

ABSTRACT

An ice/beverage dispenser is characterized by an ice/beverage dispensing machine having an integral ice making capacity. An icemaker of the dispenser and the ice and beverage dispensing portion share an evaporator that that is utilized both for chilling beverage water for dispensing and for making ice. The evaporator is efficiently utilized in that one side of it is used for making ice and both sides of it are used for chilling water. The present invention uses a processor based control circuit that operates the refrigeration system between ice-making and water chilling modes in such manner as to ensure that cold beverages will always be served. The ice/beverage dispenser also includes a system for quickly combining and separating the ice making and beverage dispensing water supply, water drain and electrical functions.

This application is a division of application Ser. No. 10/833,436, filedApr. 28, 2004 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,059,141, which claims benefit ofprovisional application Ser. No. 60/466,558, filed Apr. 29, 2003.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to machines that dispense bothbeverage and ice and more specifically to such machines in combinationwith an icemaker.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Combination ice/beverage dispensing machines are designed to dispenseboth ice and beverages. These machines include a plurality of beveragedispensing valves connected to a cooled supply of beverages fordispensing beverages into a cup or other suitable receptacle held belowthe valves. Such dispensers also include an ice retaining bin having anice dispensing mechanism for delivering ice on demand into the cup orreceptacle. A bin cover is removable from an upper opening to the icebin to permit manual filling of the bin. In the absence of an icemakerbeing associated with the ice/beverage dispenser, filling isaccomplished by manually lifting and emptying buckets of ice into thebin until it is sufficiently full.

To eliminate difficulties associated with manually filling an ice bin,it is known to mount an icemaker above an ice/beverage dispenser, sothat as ice is automatically made it drops directly from the icemakerinto the ice bin. However, the particular icemaker selected for mountingon top of an ice/beverage dispenser can be from one of a number ofdifferent manufacturers having various and differently dimensionedfootprints that may or may not accommodate direct mounting of theicemaker on top of a given ice/beverage dispenser. In addition, becauseicemakers are manufactured as separate units from ice/beveragedispensing machines, the cost of the two units as mechanically combinedwith the icemaker atop the ice/beverage dispenser is greater than if anice/beverage dispenser and an icemaker were manufactured as a singleunit. Further, cooling is required in an icemaker to form ice and in anice/beverage dispenser to cool water for being dispensed into beverages.If one mechanical cooling system were used for both functions,ice-building and water chilling, that would leverage the capabilities ofa combined unit in a cost effective manner. One obvious benefit would bethe ability to downsize a cold plate of the ice/beverage dispenser,because water-chilling circuits could be eliminated from the cold plate.At the same time, a more compact, less complicated and lower cost coldplate would result. It would therefore be desirable to have a combinedice and beverage dispensing machine with an integral ice making capacitythat provides gains in efficiency of operation and a lower total overallcost.

Ice/beverage dispensers require that water be chilled for dispensinginto beverages, which typically is accomplished by flowing water througha cold plate that is in heat exchange contact with ice produced by anicemaker. The process of using an icemaker to produce ice that is thenplaced in heat exchange relationship with the cold plate to take up heatfrom the cold plate is thermally and energy inefficient. A typical cubetype icemaker evaporator has one side configured and dedicated tomolding ice cubes while an opposite side contains the requiredrefrigerant lines that produce the necessary cooling for removing heatfrom water flowing over the one side in order to freeze the water andbuild ice cubes. In this configuration, only half of the availablesurface area presented by the evaporator structure is used to exchangeheat and produce ice. Physical constraints, cost and complexity dictatethis arrangement where, as conventional, the icemaker is separate fromthe ice/beverage dispenser. It would be desirable to use the other sideof the icemaker evaporator, opposite from the ice cube freezing side, tochill water for use in dispensed beverages.

Both ice/beverage dispensers and icemakers require drain, water supplyand electrical connections. When an icemaker is mounted on top of anice/beverage dispenser, separate drain, water and electrical connectionsare commonly provided to each. The cost of making such separateconnections to each machine is expensive and tedious. It would bedesirable to have each of the ice/beverage dispenser and icemaker sharecommon drain, water and electrical connections.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a combined ice andbeverage dispensing machine with an integral ice making capacity thatprovides gains in efficiency of operation and a lower total overallcost.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a combined icemakerand ice/beverage dispenser in which the icemaker has an evaporator forbuilding ice and in which the evaporator is also used to chill water fordispensing into beverages

A further object of the invention is to provide a combined icemaker andice/beverage dispenser which share common drain, water and electricalconnections.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is an ice/beverage dispensing machine having anintegral ice making capacity. The ice making and beverage dispensingportions of the machine include a shared evaporator that accomplishesboth the cooling of the beverage water component as well as the makingof ice. An advantage of this approach is that since a cold plate istypically used to cool both the beverage water and a syrup flavoringbeverage component, by cooling the beverage water with the evaporatorthe cold plate can be made much smaller as it only needs to cool thesyrup flavorings. Advantages of the arrangement are that any reductionsin cold plate size and complexity will greatly reduce the cost of adispenser and increased evaporator efficiencies are obtained through useof both sides of the evaporator.

More particularly, in accordance with the invention an apparatus fordispensing ice and beverage and for making ice comprises an ice makingportion including a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator, a sump belowthe evaporator for containing water for circulation over the evaporatorand for receiving water off of the evaporator during circulationthereof, and a water pump for circulating water from the sump over theevaporator. Also included is an ice and beverage dispensing portionincluding an ice retaining bin, a plurality of beverage dispensingvalves, and a carbonator including a carbonator tank and a carbonatorpump having an inlet coupled to water in the sump and an outlet coupledto an inlet to the carbonator tank for delivering water from the sump tothe carbonator tank. Means are included for providing fluid andelectrical connections to the ice making portion and to the ice andbeverage dispensing portion, and also included is control means forcontrolling operation of the ice making portion and the ice and beveragedispensing portion. In a preferred embodiment the evaporator comprisesan evaporator refrigerant coil, an ice piece forming panel on one sideof the coil and a water chilling plate on an opposite side of the coil,and the ice making portion includes means for selectively directingwater from the water pump either onto the ice piece forming panel of theevaporator when it is desired to make ice or onto both the ice pieceforming panel and the water chilling plate of the evaporator when it isdesired to efficiently chill water for beverages. Advantageously, thecompressor is a variable speed compressor that can be controlled in suchmanner as to maintain the evaporator at temperatures consideredappropriate for each of the ice making and water chilling functions ofthe evaporator.

To facilitate interconnection of the ice making and the ice and beveragedispensing portions, the apparatus may include a tray between the icemaking portion and the ice and beverage dispensing portion, which traycarries a drain fitting for coupling inline with a drain line extendingfrom a sump drain opening to a drain and a water supply fitting forcoupling inline with a supply line extending between a sump water outletand the inlet to the carbonator pump.

The ice making portion and the ice and beverage dispensing portions aredesirably contained in a single housing, and to facilitate access to theice making portion, a shelf may be slidably attached to the housing andthe ice making portion may be mounted on the shelf to accommodatesliding of the ice making portion out of the housing more convenientservicing, repair or replacement of the same.

The invention also contemplates a method of operating a combinationicemaker and ice and beverage dispenser, wherein the icemaker includes acompressor, an evaporator, and a sump below the evaporator forcontaining water for circulation over the evaporator and for receivingwater off of the evaporator during circulation thereof, and wherein theice and beverage dispenser includes an ice retaining bin and a pluralityof beverage dispensing valves coupled to the sump for receiving watertherefrom. The method comprises the steps of selectively operating theice maker to perform either an ice making cycle or a water chillingcycle. In performing an ice making cycle, the method contemplatescirculating water from the sump over the evaporator while operating thecompressor to freeze the water on the evaporator, and subsequently hotgas harvesting the ice on the evaporator and delivering the harvestedice to the ice retaining bin. In performing the water chilling cycle,the method contemplates circulating water from the sump over theevaporator while operating the compressor to chill, but not freeze, thewater on the evaporator, thereby to chill the water in the sump andreceived by the beverage dispensing valves.

The foregoing and other objects, advantages and features of theinvention will become apparent upon a consideration of the followingdescription thereof, when taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a combined icemaker and ice/beveragedispenser machine according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cutaway perspective view of the combination machine of FIG.1, showing a removable refrigeration system of the machine;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the combination machine;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a two sided evaporator, a sump forservicing the evaporator and related components of the combinationmachine;

FIG. 4A is a view of an ice cube forming panel on one side of theevaporator;

FIG. 4B is a view of a beverage water cooling plate on an opposite sideof the evaporator;

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of the control logic of the combinationmachine;

FIG. 6 is a cutaway perspective view of a portion of a cold platecompartment of the ice/beverage dispenser of the combination machine;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of a circled area of FIG. 6,showing a U-shaped tray;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged plan view of an electrical junction box of thecombination machine, and

FIG. 9 is a schematic representation of the combination machine.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention combines into a single machine an icemaker and anice/beverage dispenser, such that an ice/beverage dispenser is providedwith an ice making capacity. Since both an icemaker and an ice/beveragedispenser require cooling, benefits obtained include using a mechanicalrefrigeration system of the icemaker to both build ice and chill waterfor dispensing in beverages. Using the mechanical cooling system forboth ice-building and water chilling functions leverages thecapabilities of the machine in a cost effective manner. One benefit isthe ability to downsize a cold plate of the ice/beverage dispenserthrough elimination of water-chilling circuits, resulting in a morecompact, less complicated and lower cost cold plate.

Another advantage to using a single mechanical cooling system to servethe purposes of both ice-making and water chilling is that thearrangement allows the compressor to perform double duty, requiring itto run more continuously. This reduces the number of starts/stops of thecompressor, leading to a decrease in wear and tear on the compressor andincreased service life. In addition, variable speed technology canadvantageously be employed to allow for relatively precise matching ofcompressor capacity to ice-making and water chilling needs.

Dedicated icemakers currently make use of one side only of plate-typeevaporator designs to build ice cubes. The invention, on the other hand,contemplates that an icemaker evaporator serves the dual purpose of alsobeing used as a water chiller. So that the evaporator might moreefficiently serve double duty, a water chilling plate is provided on anopposite side of the evaporator, opposite from an ice building plate,and water is sprayed onto both sides of the evaporator, doubling itseffective water cooling surface area and significantly increasing thesaturated evaporator temperature, thereby increasing cooling capacity.Water is recirculated from a collection pan or sump located below theevaporator to the top of the evaporator plates for chilling as it flowsdown the plates and back into the sump. With the evaporator servingdouble duty as both an ice-maker and a water chiller, the sump isenlarged to be of sufficient size to minimize the tendency for a fixeddisplacement compressor to cycle on/off. The sump should be large enoughto accommodate a time interval of anywhere from 1 to 5 minutes of “on”time of the compressor for a water chiller function, while ice-makingnormally occurs over a 12 to 15 minute compressor operating cycle.Should there be a demand for both ice-making and water chilling, acontrol system prioritizes the functions in such manner as to meetdemand for both dispensed drinks and ice building. In an extreme case anice bin might run out of dispensable ice or ice to supply to a coldplate to chill to beverage syrups flowing through cold plate circuits,but that would simply mean that cold water would be mixed with roomambient syrups for a drink that is not compromised too much.

An estimate is made of maximum demand to be placed on the icemaker. Forexample, if a drink specification of 4×12 oz drinks per minute for up to120 drinks is assumed, that can be used to set the maximum consumptionrate for cold drinks during periods of peak demand. A particular iceproduction rate would then set the remainder of the demand formechanical cooling. Maximum demand could be based upon that which mightbe expected in a store setting, and an icemaker compressor of variablespeed capability can advantageously be used to match system coolingcapacity to variations in ice consumption and beverage cooling needs.

Combining an icemaker and an ice/beverage dispenser and utilizing theicemaker evaporator in the foregoing described manners yields energysavings over the conventional practice of having separate ice-making andwater chilling functions. The compressor in the ice-making mode consumesmore energy than when used to chill water. That means that the energyrequired to chill the water directly with a mechanical cooling system isless than would be required to make ice for a cold plate. The differenceis a result of the saturated evaporating temperature that the compressorwill see during ice making, which may be close to 0° F. for ice making,but is closer to 20° F. for water chilling.

Referring to the drawings, a combined ice making and ice and beveragedispensing machine of the present invention is seen in FIG. 1 andindicated generally at 10. The dispenser 10 is designed to rest on acountertop 11 or other suitable surface and includes an outer housing 12that encloses an upper ice making portion 14 and a lower ice andbeverage dispensing portion 16 of the dispenser. The ice making portion14 includes a removable front panel 17 and the dispensing portion 16includes a merchandising cover 18, an ice dispensing chute 19, aplurality of post-mix beverage dispensing valves 20, a drip tray 22 anda splash panel 24.

As seen in FIGS. 2–4, 4A, 4B, 6 and 9, the upper ice making portion 14includes a refrigeration system having a compressor 26, a condenser 28and an ice making and water cooling evaporator, indicated generally at30. The evaporator 30 includes on one side an ice cube forming panel 32having a plurality of cubic recesses 32 a and on an opposite side awater cooler consisting of a flat metal plate 34. An evaporatorrefrigerant coil 36 extends between and in intimate heat exchangecontact with the ice cube forming panel 32 and the water cooling plate34. As is conventional, a harvest indicating curtain 38 is pivotallycoupled to and extends over the ice cube forming panel 32 for beingmoved and pivoted clockwise (as viewed in FIG. 3) by ice falling off ofthe panel during an ice harvest cycle to indicate that ice has beensuccessfully harvested. A water holding pan or sump 40 is positionedbelow the evaporator 30 and includes a partial top cover 40 a having anopening 40 b that is located directly below the evaporator. A valve 42regulates filling of the sump 40 with potable water from a water supplyline 43 and a pump 44 circulates water from the sump to a pair ofelongate water distribution tubes 46 a and 46 b. The tube 46 a ispositioned above and along the ice cube forming panel 32 and the tube 46b is positioned above and along the beverage water chilling plate 34.Each tube is provided with a plurality of water outlet holes 47 inlinear spaced relationship along the lengths of the tubes for emittingwater for distribution over the surfaces of the ice cube forming panel32 and the water cooling plate 34. A valve 48 controls delivery of waterto the distribution tube 46 b and a valve 49 regulates removal of waterfrom the sump 40 through a drain line 49 a. A divider panel 50 isolatesthe sump 40 from air circulation around the compressor 26 and thecondenser 28. The foregoing components are all carried on a deck 52 thatis received along opposite edges in slides 54 fastened to insidesurfaces of the housing 12.

As seen in FIG. 3, a fluid line 57 connects the sump 40 with acarbonator pump 58. The pump 58 also connects to a carbonator 59 througha fluid line 60. Carbonated water is produced in the carbonator 59 in aconventional manner and is delivered to the beverage dispensing valves20 through fluid lines 62. So that chilled carbonated water might bedelivered by the carbonator to the beverage dispensing valves, thecarbonator is preferably supported in heat exchange contact with a coldplate 64. As also seen in FIG. 9, the dispenser 10 includes an iceretaining hopper or bin 66 located in the lower ice and beveragedispensing portion 16 above the cold plate 64 and below the ice pieceforming panel 32 for receiving ice produced by the panel andgravitationally conveyed to the ice bin during an ice harvest cycle. Theice bin 66 has a lower opening (not shown) that accommodates gravitypassage of ice from the ice bin to, onto and into heat exchange contactwith the cold plate 64. In this manner, ice from the ice bin 66automatically falls down onto and cools the cold plate 64, so that thecold plate then cools beverage syrup flavoring flowing through aplurality of circuits or lines 68 embedded in the cold plate. Uponexiting the cold plate, the lines 68 connect to the valves 20 to deliverchilled beverage syrup flavorings to the valves. A valve 70 regulatesdelivery of water by the pump 58 to the carbonator 59, and one or morewater diverting lines 72 are optionally provided to delivernoncarbonated plain water to a selected one or more of the valves 20,for example to two valves (FIG. 3) for use in dispensing beverages thatuse plain water in mixture with their respective concentrate flavoringsyrup.

As seen in FIGS. 6–9, the dispenser 10 includes a system forconveniently providing fluid and power connections between the upper icemaking portion 14 and the lower ice and beverage dispensing portion 16.The dispensing portion 16 includes a U-shaped tray 80 positioned at atop and back end thereof to which is secured a water drain line barbfitting 82 and a water inlet flare fitting 84 and through which extendsa power cord 86. A lower side of the barb fitting 82 provides for quickconnection to and disconnection from the drain line 49 a and a lowerside of the flare fitting 84 provides for quick interconnection with thetube 57 extending between the sump 40 and the carbonator pump 58. Thepower cord 86 connects at one end to an electrical box 88 of thedispenser portion 16 and at an opposite end to a power junction box 90.A further power cord 92 extends from the junction box 90 and providespower to a power and control box 94 of the ice making portion 14. Apower supply cord 96 connects the junction box 90 to an outsideelectrical power source.

A processor based electronic control for the dispenser 10 is located inthe junction box 94 and controls operation of various components of thedispenser, including all of the various valves and pumps as well as thecompressor 26. The dispenser 10 operates to make ice in a conventionalmanner, in that water is circulated over the ice cube making panel 32 ofthe evaporator 30 by the pump 44 while the evaporator is cooled byoperation of the compressor 26 of the refrigeration system to freeze thewater and build ice on the ice making panel. Ice is harvested when asensor 99 detects that ice on the panel 32 is of sufficient thickness.Harvest of the ice is effected by a hot gas defrost of the evaporatortube 36, so that the ice is released from the panel 32 for gravityconveyance into the ice retaining bin 66. As ice falls off of the panelit contacts and moves or pivots the harvest indicating curtain 38 to anopen position. As is understood, as the curtain 38 swings back to itsresting position upon completion of ice harvesting a switch (not shown)closes to signal to the control circuit that a further ice making cyclecan commence. One or more sensors, such as an upper sensor 98 a and alower sensor 98 b, can be used to detect the level of ice in the ice bin66 by detecting the presence or absence of ice at the sensor, such thatthe control circuit is responsive to the sensed level of ice in the binto either be enabled to make ice if the sensed level of ice is low or tostop making ice if the sensed level is high.

The described ice making process is standard in the art. In improvingupon the standard process, and as mentioned, the invention provides anability to use the same mechanical refrigeration system used inice-making to also chill water used in dispensed beverages. This isadvantageously accomplished by flowing water from the sump 40 over boththe ice cube forming panel 32 as well as the flat metal water chillingplate 34 of the evaporator 30 while the compressor 26 operates to chillthe evaporator refrigerant coil 36. To provide the water flow to theevaporator, the pump 44 is operated to flow water from the sump 40 toand out of the water distribution tube 46 a and across the ice cubeforming panel 32 and the valve 48 is opened to flow water provided toand out of the water distribution tube 46 b and across the flat metalwater chilling plate 34. The water chilled by the mechanicalrefrigeration system as it flows across opposite sides of the evaporatoris returned to the sump 40 from which it is withdrawn, as needed, by theaction of the carbonator pump 58 to provide either non-carbonated wateror to produce carbonated water that are used as diluents and mixed withconcentrated syrup flavorings in dispensed beverages.

Control of the operation of the dispensing system 10 of the presentinvention is predicated upon criteria that determine when ice is to bemade and when water is to be chilled. Lower and upper controltemperature setpoints are selected for water in the sump 40, thetemperature of which is detected by a sensor 41. When water temperaturerises to a user adjustable upper setpoint, say 38° F., a switch is madefrom ice building to water chilling. While in the water chilling mode,the average temperature of water in the sump 40 should drop at areasonable rate, so that ice building can resume. However, care must betaken to avoid freezing the water in the sump, so a lower setpointcut-out temperature above freezing is selected for the water in thesump, say 34° F., at which point the water chilling function ends andany necessary ice building continues.

The sump 40 must be sufficiently sized relative to the size of thecarbonator tank 59 to be able to meet demands for chilled water. Everytime the carbonator pump 58 draws a differential volume of water fromthe chilled water sump 40, warm replacement water enters the sump andelevates the temperature of the water in the sump. If drinks are drawnat an assumed rate of 4×12 oz drinks per minute, the system should notswitch to water chilling mode after just one drink is dispensed, but itwould be acceptable for the system to switch to water chilling modetoward the end of the second drink. Based upon that criterion, thecapacity of the water sump 40 should be approximately 21.3 times thedifferential volume over which the carbonator tank 59 operates. If thecarbonator tank is designed so that when 18 oz of carbonated water hasbeen drawn from it the carbonator pump 58 will turn on and refill thecarbonator tank, then the sump size or capacity would be 3.0 gal or 384oz. The temperature of the water in the sump 40 will rise each time thecarbonator pump comes on by an amount determined by the temperature ofthe incoming replacement water and the volume of water withdrawn fromthe sump by the carbonator pump, and if the size of the sump is toosmall the jump in temperature will become significant, being roughlyinversely proportional to a reduction in size of the sump.

As drinks are drawn from the dispenser 10, water flowing into the sump40 to replace that which is withdrawn causes the temperature of thewater in the sump to rise until it reaches the upper setpointtemperature. When this occurs, and subject to the stage of the thenongoing ice-making cycle, the processor based control circuit to operatethe mechanical refrigeration system to turn on the pump 44 and to openthe valve 48 to supply water from the sump to and across opposite sidesof the evaporator 30 to chill the water in the sump. Two variablesdetermine the rate at which the temperature of the water in the sumpdrops: first, the size of the sump (a greater capacity slows the rate oftemperature drop) and, second, the capacity of the compressor (a largercapacity increases the rate of temperature decline). This relationshipshould be controlled, and it has been estimated that a compressorcapacity in the range of about 9,350 to 13,200 Btu/hr should be properfor a sump capacity on the order of about 3.0 gallons. With theforegoing relationship, a decline in sump water temperature during waterchilling and when no drinks are being drawn will be approximately 6.3°F. per minute. Should the carbonator tank repeatedly fill during waterchilling the temperature of the water will rise during each carbonatortank filling, but the overall temperature will trend downward. Coolingcapacity needs to be sufficient to pull sump water temperature down tothe lower setpoint temperature in 1 to 5 minutes. Water chilling takespriority over ice building, so while the sump water temperature remainsabove the lower cut-out temperature, water chilling will continue andice building will be prevented from occurring.

To compensate for a wide variety of drinks and drink sizes, it isdesirable to return to the ice making mode as soon as practical withoutshort cycling the compressor 26. Advantageously, the compressor 26 is avariable speed compressor, which can be controlled to accomplish thedesired quick return to ice-making. Two criteria may be used todetermine if the compressor is running with sufficient capacity. First,if drinks are not being drawn, during water chilling the temperature ofwater in the sump 40 should be dropping at a rate of between 5 and 10°F. per minute. If not, the compressor speed can be incremented upward,perhaps by about 10%. Second, if drinks are being drawn a rollingaverage of 12 readings, one every 5 seconds over a period of 60 seconds,can be used to establish a temperature trend line. The trend line shouldshow that the temperature is decreasing at a rate of at least about 0.7°per minute. If it is not or is trending upward, a more significantincrease in compressor speed, perhaps by about 20%, can be made. Theresults of compressor speed changes are not sensed immediately, so it iscontemplated that time be allowed following compressor speed adjustmentsfor changes to be seen, perhaps up to 60 seconds, before any furtheradjustment is made. It is understood that compressor speed adjustmentscan also be made in the opposite direction to decrease compressor speed.

The control circuit in the junction box 94 responds to sump watertemperature information and ice bin ice level information. Referring tothe flow diagram of FIG. 5 and commencing at start block 100, thecontrol circuit first determines at block 102 the temperature of waterin the sump 40 as detected by the sensor 41 and at block 104 the levelof ice in the ice bin 66 as detected by the ice level sensors 98 a and98 b. If at block 105 the sensed temperature of water in the sump 40 isbelow a predetermined upper setpoint temperature and the sensed level ofice in the ice bin ice indicates that more ice is needed, then at block106 an ice making cycle is commenced. The ice sensor 99 is checked atblock 108 and if ice on the evaporator 30 is ready for harvest, a hotrefrigerant gas ice harvest is initiated at block 110. Upon completionof the ice harvest cycle return is made to block 100.

If at block 102 the sensed temperature of the water in the sump 40 is atleast equal to the upper setpoint temperature, then irrespective of thesensed level of ice in the ice bin at block 104, at block 105 it isdetermined that the temperature of water in the sump 40 must be lowered,as the water is not sufficiently cold to be mixed with syrup and producea drink of a desired low temperature. Under this circumstance, where thesump water temperature is at least equal to the upper setpointtemperature (e.g., 38° F.), then at block 112 the time elapsed frominitiation of the current ice making cycle is determined. If at block114 the time elapsed since the current ice-making cycle began is lessthan a predetermined minimum time required to initiate a minimum iceformation level on the ice panel 32, which minimum time may be on theorder of 2–3 minutes, then the ice making cycle in progress is notinterrupted. In other words, if the refrigeration system is less thanabout three minutes into the ice building cycle, ice of at least aminimum sufficient thickness will not have formed on the ice panel 32and ice building is allowed to continue. When the minimal sufficientthickness of ice on the ice panel 32 is reached, as determined at block112 by the refrigeration system being in the current ice-making cyclefor at least the predetermined minimum time, at block 116 therefrigeration system is switched to water chilling mode, wherein bothsides of the evaporator 30 are used for the purpose of water chilling inorder to decrease the temperature of water in the sump 40. The reasonfor waiting for the refrigeration system to be at least thepredetermined minimum time into the current ice-making cycle, beforeswitching to water chilling, is because if ice being formed on the icepanel 32 is not of at least a minimum sufficient thickness, theefficiency of the refrigeration system in water chilling mode willdecrease.

On the other hand, if the time elapsed in the ice-making cycle isgreater than the predetermined minimum time required for ice building tobe well-initiated, then priority can be given to determining whethercooling of the water in sump 40 can be immediately commenced. Thisdetermination is made based upon the time recorded at block 112, and ifthe time recorded is determined at block 114 to be at least apredetermined maximum time that is long enough that the currentice-making cycle is well underway, then the ice-making cycle is allowedto proceed to harvesting of ice. However, if the recorded time isdetermined at block 114 to be greater than the minimum predeterminedtime but less than the maximum predetermined time, then ice-making isinterrupted and water chilling is begun. Thus, three ice building timeperiods are considered at block 114: a minimum time period beginning atcommencement of the current ice-making cycle and ending at thepredetermined minimum time and during which ice building is allowed tocontinue; a midrange time period extending from the predeterminedminimum time to the predetermined maximum time and during which waterchilling can be immediately commenced, and a maximum time periodbeginning at the predetermined maximum time and during which ice-makingis allowed to continue to harvest. For example, if the midrange timeperiod beginning with initiation of the current ice-making cycle isestablished to be on the order of between 3 and 9 minutes, then shouldthe time period determined at block 114 be less than 3 minutes, icebuilding is allowed to continue until 3 minutes is reached before waterchilling begins; should the time period be between 3 and 9 minutes,water chilling is immediately commenced, and should the time period beat least 9 minutes, then ice harvest should be imminent and the icemaking cycle is allowed to continue to conclusion. However, if the timerecorded at block 112 and determined at block 114 is greater than 20minutes, it is an indication that there may be something wrong with theice-making cycle, in which case a diagnostic message is given at block134 and an icemaker shut down is effected at block 136.

If the time recorded at block 112 is in the midrange, then at decisionblock 114 the control system moves to block 116 and switches to a waterchilling cycle and at block 118 the pump 44 is turned on and the valve48 is opened to chill the water in the sump 40 by delivering the waterto and flowing the water over the ice cube forming panel 32 and thewater chilling panel 34 on opposite sides of the evaporator 30 while therefrigeration system is operated to cool the evaporator. This coolingtechnique uses the evaporator 30 to a higher level of efficiency bysubstantially doubling its effective heat exchange surface area. Whilewater chilling is occurring, the temperature of water in the sump 40, asdetected by the sensor 41, is sensed at block 120 and at block 122 adetermination is made of the rate of change of the sump watertemperature with respect to time. At block 124 the sensed temperature ofthe sump water is compared with the lower setpoint temperature, and whenthe temperature of the water decreases to the lower setpointtemperature, for example to 34° F., the pump 44 is turned off, the valve48 is closed and at block 126 the ice-making cycle is reinitiated. Thelower setpoint temperature for water in the sump 40 is selected to beabove 32° F. so that during water chilling the water does not begin tofreeze on the water chilling plate 34.

Advantageously, the compressor 26 is of the variable speed type and iscontrolled to operate at different levels, depending upon the degree ofcooling required. In this manner, during ice making the compressor canbe controlled to pull the evaporator 35 down to a temperature of around0° F. while during water chilling the evaporator temperature can bepulled down to only about 25° F. to insure that ice does not form on thewater chilling plate 34. At decision block 128 a determination is madewhether the temperature of the water in the sump 40 is being reduced ata sufficient rate and if it is not then at block 130 the compressorspeed is increased incrementally, for example by 10%. Conversely, if therate of cooling of the water exceeds a maximum desired rate oftemperature decrease, then at block 132 the compressor speed can bedecreased incrementally, for example by 10%. The rate of change of sumpwater temperature with respect to time is thereby maintained in adesired intermediate range.

If the dispenser 10 is to be capable of delivering four twelve ouncedrinks per minute for a total of 120 drinks at a desired temperature ofbelow 40° F., that requirement impacts the sizing of the compressor 26and the evaporator 30 and the size or capacity of the sump 40. It isdesirable that the refrigeration system be sized not only to avoid shortcycling of the compressor, but also to avoid continuous operation aswell. In other words, the refrigeration system should have some built inexcess capacity. In a system with a variable speed compressor and an icemaking capacity of approximately 500 pounds per day, and given the abovestated cold drinks volume capacity, a sump volume of approximately threegallons will be required and a refrigeration system capacity in therange of about 9,350 to 13,200 Btu/hr would be needed. It is understood,of course, that the particular sizing chosen for the various componentsis dependent upon the performance criteria to be met by the dispenser10.

The refrigeration equipment supporting shelf 52 shown in FIG. 2, incombination with the quick disconnect system as seen in FIGS. 6–9,permit efficient removal of the entire ice-making system in the upperice-making portion 14 of the dispenser 10. Service personnel thereforehave the option of removing the ice-making components for service andrepair or replacement without also having to remove all or part of thebeverage dispensing portion 16. The tray 80 can be positioned at variouspositions between the upper icemaker portion 14 and the lower beveragedispenser portion 16, as may be desired. The cold water supply line 57connecting the sump 40 to the carbonator pump 58 and the sump waterdrain line 49 a extending downward from the tray 80 into the lowerdispenser beverage portion 16 are adapted to be releasably secured tothe fittings 82 and 84, and the tray 80 may be formed as a part ofeither the upper ice making portion 14 or the dispenser housing 12. Thequick disconnect system can be applied to a traditional combination of aseparate icemaker and separate beverage dispenser for providing commondrain, potable water and electrical line connections In such a use ofthe quick disconnect system, the icemaker can be made to include aremovable refrigeration component shelf, like the shelf 52, even thoughit is manufactured as a separate component from the correspondingbeverage dispenser to which it is attached Where the beverage dispenserincludes the tray 80 and the icemaker is not designed to work with sucha system per se, the icemaker fluid lines can be cut to length orlengthened as need be and connected to the fittings 82 and 84 of thetray 80, and an electrical junction box 90 can be readily added alongwith a further external power cord.

While embodiments of the invention has been described in detail, variousmodifications and other embodiments thereof can be devised by oneskilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention, as defined in the accompanying claims.

1. Apparatus for dispensing ice and beverage and for making ice,comprising a combination icemaker and water chiller including acompressor, a condenser, an evaporator, and means for delivering waterto said evaporator for flow across and off of said evaporator; means foroperating said combination icemaker and water chiller to either freezewater delivered to said evaporator to build ice on said evaporator or tochill, but not freeze, water delivered to said evaporator; a watercollector for receiving chilled water flowing off of said evaporator; anice collector for receiving ice built on said evaporator; and valvemeans fluid coupled to said water collector for receiving and dispensingwater from said water collector.
 2. Apparatus as in claim 1, whereinsaid evaporator comprises an evaporator refrigerant coil, an ice pieceforming panel on one side of said coil and a water chilling plate on anopposite side of said coil and said means for delivering water to saidevaporator delivers water to said ice piece forming panel to form ice onsaid panel for harvest and receipt in said ice collector and deliverswater to both said ice piece forming panel and said water chilling platefor flow across said panel and plate for chilling and collection of thewater in said water collector.
 3. Apparatus as in claim 2, wherein saidcompressor is a variable speed compressor and including control meansfor controlling the speed of operation of said compressor and forcontrolling delivery of water to said evaporator, such that saidcompressor is operated a speed bringing said evaporator refrigerant coilto a first temperature when water is delivered to said ice piece formingpanel to freeze the water and build ice on said panel and such that saidcompressor is operated at a decreased speed bringing said evaporatorrefrigerant coil to a second and increased temperature when water isdelivered to both said ice piece forming panel and said water chillingplate to chill the water.
 4. An apparatus for dispensing ice andbeverage and for making ice, comprising an ice making and water chillingportion including a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator, a sump belowsaid evaporator for containing water flowing off of said evaporator andfor circulation over said evaporator, and a pump for circulating waterfrom said sump over said evaporator; an ice and beverage dispensingportion including an ice retaining bin and a beverage dispensing valve;means for fluid coupling water in said sump to said beverage dispensingvalve; and control means for controlling operation of said ice makingand water chilling portion, said control means being responsive to thetemperature of water in said sump and to the level of ice in said bin tocontrol operation of said ice making and water chilling portion tooperate said ice making and water chilling portion either in an icemaking cycle by operating said pump to circulate water from said sump tosaid evaporator while operating said compressor to chill said evaporatorto freeze to ice water circulated to said evaporator to build ice onsaid evaporator and to then hot gas harvest the ice on the evaporatorfor delivery to said bin, or in a water chilling cycle by operating saidpump to circulate water to said evaporator while operating saidcompressor to chill said evaporator to chill, but not freeze, watercirculated to said evaporator, thereby to chill the water in said sump.5. Apparatus as in claim 4, said control means, in response to a sumpwater temperature that is no greater than a maximum setpoint temperatureand to an insufficient level of ice in said bin, operating said icemaking and water chilling portion in an ice making cycle.
 6. Apparatusas in claim 4, said control means, in response to a sump watertemperature that is at least equal to a maximum setpoint temperature anda detected level of ice in said bin indicating that the ice level issufficient, operating said ice making and water chilling portion in awater chilling cycle.
 7. Apparatus as in claim 4, wherein saidcompressor is a variable speed compressor and said control meanscontrols the speed of said compressor and includes means, when operatingsaid ice making and water chilling portion in a water chilling cycle,for determining the change in sump water temperature with respect totime (DT/dt) and for increasing the speed of said compressor if DT/dt isno more than a first value and decreasing the speed of said compressorif DT/dt is at least equal to a second and greater value.